The History of The Rolling Stones

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The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones define rock 'n' roll. They are the longest running act
in the history of rock music, having remained wildly popular and prodigiously
productive over their 30-year career. The group was formed by Mick
Jagger and Keith Richards, who met as schoolmates
in Dartford, Kent. The legend has them bumping into each other on the platform
at Dartford railway station, where Keith notices a blues album under Mick's
arm. A bond is struck immediately and the pair go on to form a band with a
variety of personnel, who eventually include a boogie-woogie pianist called
Ian Stewart and a gifted blonde blues guitarist from Cheltenham called Brian
Jones (although at the time he is calling himself Elmo Lewis for added authenticity).
The best way to chronicle the Rolling Stones' accomplishments is to break
it down by year:

1962

The Stones are just three of a growing circle of musicians
who were devoted to the music of American artists like Chuck Berry, Howlin'
Wolf, Muddy Waters and Elmore James. They perform these artists' songs with
an almost missionary zeal to further the R&B cause, as well as earn enough
money to stay alive. For some months, the impoverished early Stones live in
squalor in London's Edith Grove. They beg gigs from older, jazz-tinged luminaries
like Chris Barber, Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner, yet such is the Stones'
raw energy and rapid development, they soon leave behind the somewhat purist
and divided world of the jazz and blues establishment.

In July, the Stones take their name from a Muddy Waters song
called "Rollin' Stone Blues" and make their live debut at London's
Marquee Club (minus Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts). They start playing pubs
and clubs around the city and suburbs. Bill Wyman
joins late in the year -- the popular story being that he was asked because
he had his own amplifier!

1963

In January, Charlie Watts joins
the Stones and plays his first gigs. The band gigs constantly with residencies
at venues like Ealing Jazz Club, Ken Colyer's Studio 51 and Eel Pie Island
in Twickenham. Audiences often consist of fellow budding blues musicians like
Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend. Their weekly steamy nights at
the Crawdaddy at Richmond's Station Hotel result in ecstatic press reviews,
and in April a sharp young mover called Andrew Loog Oldham catches the Stones
at the Crawdaddy and signs them to his management company the next day. He
starts the "Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone" press
campaign which endears the group to hordes of youngsters who find the Beatles
a tad cute. The shockwaves are still being felt today.

In May, the Stones are signed to Decca Records by an A&R
man infamous for turning down the Beatles. A month later "Come On,"
the first Rolling Stones single, is released. An older generation recoils
in horror as the group performs the song on England's top pop TV show "Thank
Your Lucky Stars." The song -- an obscure Chuck Berry cover -- climbs
to No. 21 on the U.K. charts. The second single, "I Wanna Be Your Man,"
is given to the group by John Lennon and Paul McCartney after they run into
the Stones on the street. They finish writing it on the spot. That reaches
No. 12. Live gigs are already attracting hordes of screaming teenage girls
who drown out the band.

1964

The group start the year on their first major package tour
supporting America's Ronettes, the girl group produced by Phil Spector. In
January, the Rolling Stones EP -- four covers of current U.S. rock'n'soul
classics -- appears. In February, they release a third single, a version of
Bo Diddley's "Not Fade Away," which features Phil Spector on maracas.

By now the Stones are becoming a ferocious R&B machine.
They ditch the stage uniforms, grow their hair longer and inspire a legion
of lookalikes. No group in history has sparked such horror in the older generation.
"Not Fade Away" becomes the Stones' first Top 10 entry, hitting
No. 3. The first album immediately sparks controversy for being untitled and
featuring no writing on the cover. It reaches No.1. The record mainly consists
of raw, feisty covers by heroes like Chuck Berry and Willie Dixon. It also
features the first bona fide Jagger/Richards composition, "Tell Me,"
which was written after Andrew Oldham locked them in his kitchen with the
intent of writing some songs. In April, there's teen mayhem when they play
the NME Pollwinners' Concert at Wembley Arena.

In June, the band's cover of the Valentinos' "It's All
Over Now" becomes the Stones' first No.1 and gold record. It was recorded
at Chicago's legendary Chess studios -- home of Muddy Waters and other Stones
heroes -- during the group's first visit to the States that month. The Stones
go on to predate the dance music explosion by 25 years and headline their
fan club's "All Night Rave" at London's Alexandra Palace, which
also features John Lee Hooker and winds down at 6:30 a.m.

In August, more Chess material appears on the Five By Five
EP, and November caps an eventful year with another chart-topper -- a cover
of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster."

1965

The momentum continues -- as does the band's superhuman schedule
-- with a second chart-topping album, Rolling Stones Number 2. In February,
the single "The Last Time" (the first A-side to be written by Mick
and Keith) also hits No. 1.

In August "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" sweeps
the world and becomes one of the biggest Stones anthems ever. Keith says he
woke up in the middle of the night in a motel room with that riff in his head
and had to whack it down there and then. The following month sees the release
of the Got Live If You Want It EP -- a noisy record of the live show recorded
over the first three days of the March U.K. tour. The Out Of Our Heads album,
recorded between U.S. dates and featuring a bunch of Jagger/Richards gems,
is released in July. The chart topping "Get Off My Cloud" puts the
cap on another action-packed year.

1966

February sees the single "19th Nervous Breakdown,"
followed by the ground-breaking, chart-vaulting Aftermath album, on which
the Stones start to experiment with different instruments and 11-minute tracks.
Every song is written by Mick and Keith. In May, the expansion of the Stones'
sound continues on the number one "Paint It Black" single, where
Brian's sitar rides the pummelling beat. September's "Have You Seen Your
Mother Baby, Standing In The Shadows?" single sees the group's first
dabblings with full-on psychedelia. October sees the group's last U.K. tour
for three years (with Ike & Tina Turner supporting).

1967

The Between The Buttons album sees a further flowering of
the psychedelically inclined studio experimentation expanding the Stones'
current whimsical English pop music. In February, Mick and Keith are arrested
when Keith's Redlands home is raided by the police. Thus starts the run of
high-profile court appearances that divide the nation's generations and are
widely believed to be part of some greater conspiracy to silence the unbelievably
powerful Stones. But despite all the charges hurled against Jagger, Richards
and Jones, no Stone went to jail for any extended period.

After the bust, the Stones tour Europe to literally riotous
responses in many cases, and headline the massively popular "Sunday Night
At The London Palladium" TV show, where they perform the already-controversial
"Let's Spend The Night Together" single and its genteel flip "Ruby
Tuesday." They spark further outrage by refusing to ride on the silly
roundabout at the end of the show.

In August, the hastily assembled "We Love You"
single is released to thank the public for their support during the Jagger/Richards
trials. Lennon and McCartney pop up on backing vocals while Mick and girlfriend
Marianne Faithful return the favor by joining in with the Beatles "All
You Need Is Love" for the "Our World" simultaneous satellite
TV broadcast. In December, the highly experimental Their Satanic Majesties
Request album baffles many with its extended psychedelic explorations, but
still hits the top three. Much attention is focused on its three-dimensional
sleeve.

1968

In May, the Stones make a surprise appearance at the end
of the NME Pollwinners' Concert. It is immediately obvious that the group
have returned to their blues roots as they tear into the new "Jumpin'
Jack Flash" single and "Satisfaction." After the uncertainty
of the previous year the Stones are back to claim their crown as Greatest
Rock 'n' Roll Band In The World. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is released
later that month and pole vaults to the top. The Beggars Banquet album is
supposed to follow in August, but Decca objects to the Stones' graffiti-splattered
toilet wall sleeve and it finally emerges in a plain white cover in December.
The album launch party ends up with the Stones hurling custard pies in the
faces of Decca executives. The album itself shows a new maturity and bluesy
raunch, as well as the dark and dangerous image epitomized by "Sympathy
For The Devil."

1969

After a meeting with other band members, Brian leaves the
Stones on June 8, saying he wants to form a new group. A few days later the
Stones hold a photo call in London's Hyde Park to introduce their new guitarist,
Mick Taylor, who was formerly in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He will make
his live debut with the Stones at a free concert to be held in the park on
July 5, and plays on the upcoming single, "Honky Tonk Women"/"You
Can't Always Get What You Want."

On July 3, Brian Jones is found dead in his swimming pool
in Sussex. The Hyde Park gig becomes a memorial for Brian and the group unveil
their new songs. The classic bar room raunch of "Honky Tonk Women"
is unleashed a week later and shoots to No. 1.

The chart-topping Let It Bleed album is released in December
and turns out to be another feast of apocalyptic blues ("Gimme Shelter"),
salacious melodrama ("Midnight Rambler") and more tales from the
darkside. The Stones embark on their first U.S. tour since 1966 and, in the
new climate of audiences who sit and listen, find the new live power and sense
of occasion which remains with them to this day. The U.S. tour climaxes in
December with the tragic Altamont Speedway concert.

1970

Two years after it was filmed, Mick Jagger's movie debut
in Nic Roeg and Donald Cammell's Performance finally gets released. Jagger
plays reclusive rock star Turner. It's accompanied by a soundtrack to which
Mick contributed "Memo from Turner."

In September, a live album of the previous year's Madison
Square Garden show New York, Get Yer Ya-Yas Out, hits No. 1. It's initially
designed as an official alternative to the Stones bootlegs starting to appear.
The 1969 tour also results in the movie, Gimme Shelter.

1971

The Stones, whose contract with Decca has expired, launch
their Rolling Stones Records imprint with the mighty double header of "Brown
Sugar" and "Bitch," which continue to push the barriers and
court controversy with their lyrics. The band undertake a farewell tour of
the U.K. as they prepare to go into tax exile in the south of France. In April
the mothership album, Sticky Fingers, appears with a sleeve designed by Andy
Warhol, which depicts a mystery groin complete with adjustable zipper! While
the rock 'n' roll is sleazier than ever, a beautifully damaged haze hangs
over tracks like "Sister Morphine" and "Wild Horses,"
which features the country influence of Keith's new mate, Gram Parsons from
the Flying Burrito Brothers.

1972

In April, the Top Five hit "Tumbling Dice" is the
first single to trailer the upcoming double album Exile On Mainstreet, recorded
in the basement of Keith's house in the south of France. The album is derided
at the time for sprawling self-indulgence, but Keith is always glad to point
out that it is now held up among the band's most enduring work.

The Stones tour the States -- described by organizer Pete
Rudge as "not like a rock 'n' roll tour, more like the Normandy landing."
It sees the group setting a standard of the grand spectacle required for stadium
gigs.

1973

In August, the balladic "Angie" trailers the more
melodic Goats Head Soup album, recorded in Jamaica; stirring it up with the
controversial "Starfucker" finale. The tour hits Europe, including
a spectacular stretch at Wembley Arena.

1974

July's Top 10 single, "It's Only Rock'n'Roll,"
started life in Ronnie Wood's South London home studio, with David Bowie on
backing vocals and the Faces' Kenny Jones on drums. The roughhouse rock feel
is continued on the album of the same name, although the highlight could be
considered the haunting ballad, "Time Waits For No One."

The Stones/Wood connection becomes closer when Keith appears
on most of Ronnie's first solo album, I've Got My Own Album To Do, and both
Mick Taylor and Jagger guest. Keith appears with Ronnie at his Kilburn State
gig in July. In December Mick Taylor quits to pursue a solo career.

1975

After much speculation and a string of recording sessions-cum-auditions
in Munich, which eventually give birth to the Black and Blue album, the Stones
announce Mick Taylor's replacement -- Ronnie Wood. (Candidates who didn't
get past the jamming phase include Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton and Rory Gallagher).
Ronnie has already taken leave from the Faces to tour with the Stones, and
Keith admits he nearly asked him to join back when Brian left.

1976

Black and Blue is released in April and features those guest
spots from guitarists Harvey Mandel, Wayne Perkins and the successful Mr.
Wood. "Fool to Cry" is the single and makes the Top 10. That summer,
the group tour and appear straddling an unfolding lotus stage complete with
giant inflatable penis and Tarzan rope for Mick.

1977

In February, Keith and Anita Pallenberg are busted in Toronto,
where the Stones are playing some low-key club dates to record for an upcoming
live album. October's Love You Live double album features songs from the previous
tour and a side from the Toronto gigs at the El Mocambo club.

1978

The dance music-influenced "Miss You" (one of the
early 12" singles) hits the number one spot in the U.S. The Some Girls
LP follows. Originally called Some More Fast Numbers, some say the charged
energy level is influenced by the recent punk rock explosion. In fact, the
next single, "Respectable," shows the group commenting on their
new status as "pillars of society" -- before slamming into brief
acquaintance Margaret Trudeau, the Stones-slumming wife of the Canadian Prime
Minister.

The Stones tour America to wildly enthusiastic audiences
and equally ecstatic reviews. All stage props have been stripped back, to
allow room for the new energy coursing through the group with a totally integrated
Ronnie Wood and fully-cylindered Keith Richards.

1979

Wood releases a third solo album, Gimme Some Neck, which
again features Keith and Mick. In April, the Stones join together to support
Keith, doing a set for the Benefit Concert for the blind which honors the
Toronto court's sentencing commitment. Keith then joins Ronnie for the New
Barbarians tour. The Barbs appear at the Knebworth Festival supporting Led
Zeppelin.

1980

In June a new single, the reggae and disco-tinged "Emotional
Rescue," trailers the album of the same name and hits the Top 10.

1981

August sees "Start Me Up" motor into the Top 10
as a slashing kickstart trailer for the upcoming album, Tattoo You, which
also includes the warm follow-up single, "Waiting On A Friend."
The Stones undertake the first of periodic mega-tours which sees them astride
a colossal stadium-stage, complete with hydraulic platforms and huge avant
garde paintings.

1982

The Stones tour hits Europe, including several nights at
London's Wembley Stadium. In June, the Stones release Still Life, a live album
drawn from the '81 American gigs along with the group's cover of "Going
To A Go Go."

1983

It's August and in typical Stones fashion, an agreement is
reached and signed at 3:00 a.m. in Paris' Ritz Hotel by Mick Jagger, Keith
Richards and CBS head Walter Yetnikoff. The deal is reportedly worth 28 million
dollars and calls for the Stones to deliver four studio albums.

In October, the "Undercover Of The Night" single
is unveiled with the theme of South American political unrest dominating an
epic video directed by Julian Temple. Mick's execution scene stirs some controversy
while Keith sports a skull mask and a gun. The single reached the Top 10,
as did the album with its peel-the-stickers-off-the-stripper sleeve.

1985

In February, the Stones are in Paris recording Dirty Work
at Pathe-Marconi Studio. Mick Jagger releases his first solo album, She's
The Boss. In June he duets with David Bowie on the specially recorded version
of "Dancing In The Street" for Live Aid. Mick also appears at the
all-day event in Philadelphia, singing a saucy duet with Tina Turner in which
he whips off her skirt. It's his first ever live solo set performed in front
of 1.5 billion viewers. Later that day, Keith and Ronnie flank Bob Dylan for
an acoustic set to close the show at JFK Stadium. Three months later, Keith
and Ronnie repeat their acoustic act, backing Bono for a version of "Silver
And Gold," which appears on the Artists United Against Apartheid album.

Later that year, the Stones begin work on a new album. Near
the end of the sessions -- which the group later admit were not their most
harmonious -- their road manager, soul brother and "Sixth Stone"
Ian Stewart dies of a massive heart attack in London at the age of 47. Ian
had been with the group since the start and still played piano on stage. "We
all felt the glue had come unstuck," says a grieving Keith.

1986

"Harlem Shuffle" -- a cover of Bob & Earl's
1964 hit featuring soul legend Bobby Womack on backing vocals -- is released
in March and hits the Top 20. The Dirty Work album follows and is dedicated
to Ian Stewart. It closes with one of Keith's most moving ballads, "Sleep
Tonight." Again there is no tour although Charlie takes the big band
across the States later that year and repeats the exercise during lulls in
the Stones' schedule from then on.

1987

Keith records his first solo album for Virgin Records at
Montreal's Le Studio. Taylor Hackford's Chuck Berry tribute, Hail! Hail! Rock'N'Roll,
opens in October. Keith is the musical director of the movie, which features
performances by Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Etta James, Julian Lennon, Robert
Cray and Richards himself.

1988

Mick releases his second solo album, Primitive Cool, and
enjoys an hugely successful tour of Japan and Australia. In September, Keith's
debut album, Talk Is Cheap, is released. He follows this with a three-week
sold-out tour of the U.S. with his back-up band, the X-Pensive Winos. "Take
It So Hard" is the first single and video released.

On October 16th, Keith, whose house in Jamaica suffered hurricane
damage, guests at the "Smile Jamaica" hurricane relief benefit concert
at the Dominion Theater, London. He plays two songs with U2-- "Love Rescue
Me" and "When Love Comes To Town."

1989

At the start of the year, the Rolling Stones are inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Mick, Keith, Ron and Mick Taylor are
present at the ceremony held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The absence
of Wyman and presence of Taylor sparks rumors that the Stones will tour with
Taylor replacing Wyman, and Ron Wood will move to the bass. Pete Townshend
helps induct the Stones, telling them in his speech, "Guys, whatever
you do, don't try to grow old gracefully. It wouldn't suit you." Mick
replies in his own speech: "After a lifetime of bad behavior, it's slightly
ironic that tonight you see us on our best behavior." Mick, Keith, Ronnie,
and Mick Taylor join the now-expected all-star jam session, during which Mick
duets with Tina Turner on "Honky Tonk Women," and with Little Richard
on "Can't Turn You Loose" and "Bony Moronie." He then
brings down the house with "Start Me Up."

Keith releases his second video "Make No Mistake,"
directed by Paula Grief, from Talk Is Cheap in March. In May, he is presented
with the "Living Legend Award" at the International Rock Awards.

Earlier, Mick and Keith meet at Eddy Grant's studio in Barbados
to see if they can still write songs together. Before the meeting, there's
speculation as to whether the two can still remain in the same room. Two months
later, they have 12 new tunes ready, plus the usual welter of unfinished ideas.
Working like they did on the classic albums of the '60's and '70's -- from
the groundfloor and building -- they come out with a string of gems, which
are then honed and bashed into shape by the whole group at George Martin's
AIR Studios in Montserrat with Chris Kimsey co-producing. The band whack everything
down live in five weeks, with mixing to follow in London.

In July, the Rolling Stones hold a press conference at New
York's Grand Central Station to announce their forthcoming Steel Wheels tour
and album. Mick holds up a ghetto blaster and plays the new "Mixed Emotions"
single to the assembled world media. It's released in August and puts the
group back onto the world's charts.

Steel Wheels is a Stones classic. A complete album of new
stuff, as opposed to touched up old demos like much of the late-'70's and
'80's output. The sound is raw and bristling on tracks like the first single,
"Mixed Emotions," but the album also proves the band can still deliver
gorgeous ballads like "Almost Hear You Sigh," or Keith's lovely
"Slippin' Away."

While the album is generally acclaimed as the group's best
in years, the group make it a double whammy with the awesome scope and spectacle
of the "Steel Wheels" tour. The stage set is the biggest ever, a
surreal post-nuclear nightmare factory, all girders, funnels and catwalks
bathed in ferocious lighting and walls of fire and smoke. The set straddles
the Stones' entire career in over two hours with every song a piece-de-resistance
-- from the giant inflatable "Honky Tonk Women" to Mick's materialization
one hundred feet above the stage for "Sympathy." The group play
like their lives depend on it, and also like they were having a total blast.

Starting in Philadelphia on August 30, the huge operation
(a veritable mobile army) goes on to play around 70 gigs. In December, the
U.S. leg ends up at the Atlantic City Convention Center for a radio-TV simulcast.
Guests include John Lee Hooker, Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin from Guns 'N Roses,
and Eric Clapton.

1990

In February, the Stones tour Japan for the first time with
10 sold-out shows at Tokyo's Korakuen Dome, playing to 50,000 a night. For
Europe, Steel Wheels gives way to Urban Jungle -- partly because European
stadiums aren't big enough for the huge set, partly because they just fancied
a change of scenery. The new stage resembles a post-nuclear tropical ruin,
with giant inflatable dogs appearing during "Street Fighting Man."
It hits London's Wembley Stadium in July, then again in August at the end
of the tour, with the resurrection of the Steel Wheels set. Over the past
year, the Stones have played 115 shows to over six million people.

1991

All five members of the band immerse themselves in solo projects.
In November, at the London office of the Stones' financial advisor Rupert
Loewenstein, Mick, Keith, Charlie, Ronnie are present for the signing of the
Stones' deal with Virgin Records.

1992

The Stones take the year off to recharge their batteries.
Meanwhile Richards records and releases his second solo album, Main Offender,
on Virgin. He tours Europe and then goes where no Stone has gone before --
Argentina, where the X-Pensive Winos play to a Buenos Aires crowd of 40,000.

1993

The Stones celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release
of their first single. During a live interview on the BBC's "London Tonight"
news program in January, Bill Wyman finally makes it official: "I really
don't want to do it anymore." Regarding his efforts to prevent Bill from
quitting, Keith states: "I did everything but hold him at gunpoint."
Also in January, Ronnie plays the first of four solo concerts in Japan, wrapping
up on the 14th at Tokyo's Budokan. Meanwhile, Mick releases his third solo
album, Wandering Spirit. The night of the release, Mick plays a private concert
for 1,200 invited guests at New York's Webster Hall. Guests include Robert
De Niro and Francis Ford Coppola. Mick performs 11 songs from his new album,
then encores with the Stones' "Rip This Joint," "Live With
Me," and "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby (Standing In The Shadows)?"
The tour ends with sell-out shows in Tokyo. Three days later in Seattle, Keith
opens the U.S. leg of his Main Offender tour. Later in the year, Billy Joel
inducts Keith into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

1994

After pre-production in Barbados, the Stones gather in Dublin,
Ireland at Windmill Studios to start work on a new album. Their first under
a new deal with Virgin, the band sees much of the back catalogue re-mastered
on CD. Don Was is picked as co-producer of Voodoo Lounge alongside the Glimmer
Twins. Was, who made his name with the surreal rock 'n' soul of Was Not Was,
has recently produced Bonnie Raitt, the B-52's, Bob Dylan and Iggy Pop. Bassist
Darryl Jones and keyboard player Chuck Leavell are called in to help out.
Other guests include Ivan Neville, Bobby Womack, Bernard Fowler, Benmont Tench,
Flaco Jimenez and Luis Jardim.

The results are staggering. As virtually all reviews have
pointed out, Voodoo Lounge is peak Stones; a group firing on all cylinders.
After the success of the Steel Wheels project, the Stones know they have nothing
to prove and the new sound seems less self-conscious and more inventive than
their recent work. It's the sound of a group getting together and raising
the hell they know and love. Mick's singing is stronger and more expressive
than usual, notably on the chilling anti-terrorism ballad "Blinded By
Rainbows," and lascivious car song "Brand New Car," which is
in the best tradition of double entendre blues. Like all Rolling Stones classic
albums, each song is propelled by Keith's explosive guitar riffs and underpinned
by Charlie's ferocious drumming.

The album and its accompanying tour is announced in New York
-- this time after the group arrive via boat at Pier 60. The tour kicks off
on August 1 at Washington. D.C.'s RFK Stadium, and plays the U.S., Canada,
Japan, Mexico, South America and the Far East. As Bobby Keys, long time Stones
sax player, once remarked in a choice moment during the 1971 outing: "Looks
like rock 'n' roll is on the road again!"

And how! The Voodoo Lounge tour launches with a shower of
praise from critics and fans alike. In between playing to sold-out shows in
stadiums across the U.S., the Stones find time to pick up an MTV Lifetime
Achievement Award, plus a Billboard Award for Artistic Excellence. The band
also make history on November 10, when they become the first rock 'n' roll
band to broadcast a concert live on the Internet. By the end of the year,
sales of the Voodoo Lounge album pass the four million mark, and the North
American leg of the tour is written into the record books as the most successful
tour in history.

1995

The year starts in Stones' usual breathless fashion -- this
time because of the high altitude of Mexico City's Autodromo Stadium. A lack
of oxygen was no problem throughout the South American leg of the tour. Having
never played South America as a band before, the Stones are greeted with a
fever-pitch hysteria that's overwhelming, even by Latin standards. In Argentina,
they are mobbed wherever they go and are kept awake by 5:00 a.m. reprises
of the chorus of "Wild Horses."

The band sweep through South Africa, a seven-night sell-out
stand at the Tokyo Dome, and Australasia before embarking on the final leg
of the tour in Europe on June 3 in Stockholm. In Montpellier, they are joined
on stage by Bob Dylan for the aptly-titled "Like a Rolling Stone."
The band later release their version of the song as a single. While on the
road, the band find time to stop and record acoustic versions of classics
like "Street Fighting Man," and more arcane numbers like "Spider
and the Fly" and "I'm Free." These tracks make up the live
acoustic album Stripped. The tour ends in Rotterdam on August 30 with the
promise that this will definitely not be the last time.

While the release of Stripped is seen as a present-day celebration
of past glories, the Stones end the year by re-enforcing their commitment
to the future by making it enhanced with multimedia content. The band also
launch their second official website (Stonesworld) and release their debut
CD-ROM (Voodoo Lounge).

1996

Even when not active, the Stones are everywhere, with music
featured in Casino (released late in '95), Basquiat (in which Keith also has
a song called "Nearness to You" recorded in 1980), and The Fan.
Meanwhile, the band once again get involved in solo projects. Charlie Watts
is the first to break cover with the release of his quintet's Long Ago &
Far Away, which features classics from the likes of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington,
Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael. At his home in Jamaica, Keith completes
production work on an album which features traditional Rastafarian Bingi drums
(to be released later this year).

1997

The Stones continue to redefine rock music and themselves
in the process. The ageless rockers begin recording the follow-up to Voodoo
Lounge in a Los Angeles studio with executive producer Don Was and producer
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The Dust Brothers (Beck, the Beastie
Boys) take over behind the mixing board, with mixer/producer Danny Saber (who
has re-mixed tracks for U2 and Garbage) and Was also producing a few songs
each. Bridges To Babylon is released in the fall.

1998

In November, the Stones chronicle their 1998 tour with the
release of No Security, their third live album of the decade.